Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence Editor and a world-renowned expert on global security and terrorism issues. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books. His new book, Churchill's First War: Young Winston and the fight against the Taliban, is published by Macmillan in London and Thomas Dunne Books in New York. He appears regularly on radio and television in Britain and America.

It's a shame Radovan Karadzic will not suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein

All the problems Radovan Karadzic is causing at the opening of his trial at the Hague for war crimes remind me of Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad. Saddam was forever staging walk-outs, refusing to appear and berating the judges when he did, all in the hope that he could undermine the court's legitimacy, and thereby escape the hangman's noose. He failed miserably, and I confidently predict Karadzic's tactics will also fail.

Even though the crimes allegedly committed by Karadzic – it's not difficult to draw a parallel between the Srebrenica massacre and Saddam's gassing of the Kurds – are on a par with those undertaken by the former Iraqi dictator, the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague unfortunately does not have the power to pass the death penalty.

Even so that has not stopped Karadzic from indulging in Saddam-like tactics, such as refusing to attend today's opening session on the grounds that he has not had enough time to prepare properly. Fortunately the judges have seen straight through his ploy, and accused Karadzic of trying to obstruct the court, a development that is not likely to earn Karadzic any favours when the Tribunal eventually comes to decide on his fate.